[November
30, 2012]SPRINGFIELD -- After launching a
new "Drive to Survive" media and enforcement campaign last week,
Illinois Transportation Secretary Ann L. Schneider announced this
week that there was a 63 percent decline in motor vehicle crash
fatalities over the heavily traveled Thanksgiving weekend.

Provisional data from Illinois Department of Transportation's crash
information unit reported two crashes and three motor vehicle
fatalities during the four-day holiday weekend, compared with seven
crashes and eight fatalities during the same time period in 2011.
The agency also highlighted their effective partnership and traffic
safety campaign with law enforcement, favorable road conditions over
the weekend, and continued motorist compliance with state laws.

"Illinois has made significant progress in recent years to improve
traffic safety and reduce fatalities on Illinois roadways, and the
Thanksgiving holiday weekend was no exception," Schneider said.
"Under Gov. Quinn's leadership, statewide seat belt usage rates are
at record highs, and annual traffic fatalities appear on track to
total less than 1,000 for the fourth consecutive year. In addition,
major capital improvements under way for Illinois roads and bridges
should continue to reap logistical and safety benefits for motorists
in years to come."

To boost traffic safety through holiday periods across the state,
IDOT recently launched the Drive to Survive campaign and is
partnering with the Illinois State Police and hundreds of local law
enforcement agencies in November and December for an end-of-the-year
push to increase safety awareness and drive down the number of motor
vehicle crash fatalities. The Illinois State Police and nearly 300
law enforcement agencies statewide were out in force implementing
seat belt and DUI enforcement efforts during Thanksgiving weekend.

The statewide Drive to Survive enforcement effort continues to
focus on the deadly nighttime hours, at late-night times when data
shows more vehicle occupants die in crashes than during any other
time of day. For this reason, at night, particularly from 11 p.m. to
6 a.m., Illinois motorists will continue to see roadside safety
checks, seat belt enforcement zones and other police saturation
patrols looking for seat belt law violators and drunk drivers.